Device or appliance for women&#39;s wear or use



Oct. 25, 1932. z. M. RICHARDS I DEVICE OR APPLIANCE FOR WOMENS WEAR OR USE Filed July :so, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v vz/v T07? .ZM, Flew/mas Oct. '25, 1932.

z M. RICHARDS DEVICE OR APPLIANCE FOR WOMEN'S WEAR OR USE Filed July 30, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 {8 Ala/wrap ZIM' 07/61 Patented Oct. 25, 1932 ZOE MORGAN RICHARDS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND DEVICE OR APPLIANCE FOR WOMEN S WEAR OR USE Application filed July 30, 1931, Serial No. 554,098, and in Great Britain September 30, 1930.

This invention relates to devices or appliances for womens wear oruse; and has for its object t6 provide specially devised padsor cushion-like devices or appliances each made in the shape or configuration-pr approximating more or less to the shape or configuration-ofthe breast of a woman; such device or appliance being designed to be Worn or used in conj unction with, and having means provided for mounting or securing same in position in use in, bust bodices or so called breast supporters, for example, breast supporters such as set forth in British patent specification No. 107,934 of 1917, or NO. 141,501 of 1919, or No. 318,742 of 1928; or such pad or cushion-like device or appliance with the means for mounting or securing same in position in use according to my present invention may be combined with or wornor used in or in conjunction with any other suitable supporting meanswhether of the nature of bust bodice or otherwise-adapted to hold the said device or appliance securely and comfortably in the desired position on the wearer.

The said devices or appliances with the means for mounting or securing same in position in use according to the present invention are especially designed for use or wear as an artificial breast or as a substitute for the breast in amputation cases, i. e. in cases where the (female) human breast has been removed by surgical operation, and thus enable a woman who has undergone such operation to maintain in outward or general appearance the normal figure or outline of her bust.

In carrying out this invention, each such appliance or device is advantageously made very light in weight and of very soft material, and particularly for amputation cases such as aforesaid, so as to afford comfort and case over that part of the body from which the breast has been removed.

The device or appliance according to my present invention comprises a cushion or pad of special shape or configuration such as aforesaid (and if desired a removable outer cover or case thereforalso specially shapedfor fitting over and use upon and in conjunction with said cushion or pad) and the provision of means on the pad or cushion for attaching or securing said pad or cushion to the breast supporter or bust bodice in conjunction with which same is to be used; and according to a' further part of my invention -means are provided on the breast supporter.

or bustvbodice to co-operate with the aforesaid attaching means on the pad or cushion for attaching and securing the latter toand in the required position on--the breast supporter.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my present invention as carried into practice in conjunction with 2 alternative forms of breast supporters or bust bodice.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a breast supporter laid out flatysuch breast supporter being of a known type with the inner end of each sac or pouch partly overlapping with the other, such for example as illustrated in Figure 8 of British patent specification No. 318,742, and showing one sac only (of the 2 sacs or pouches) provided with means (tieing ribbons) for attaching or securing the pad or cushion in position in said sac or pouch.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a pad or cushionlike device or appliance for use according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a plan View of a removable outer cover or casing for said pad or appliance.

Figure 4: is a plan view (similar to Figure 3) of the outer cover with the pad or cushion inside thereof; part of the outer cover being broken away to show the pad or cushion located within said cover.

Figure 5 is a similar View to Figure 1, but showing the complete device or appliance (pad or cushion inside its cover) secured in position in one sac or pouch of the breast supporter or bust bodice.

Figure 6 is a plan view (similar to Figure 5) of a slightly modified-form of breast supporter or bust bodice in which the inner part of,the 2 sacs 'or pouches do not overlap (as in Figures 1 and 5) and showing the complete pad or cushion with cover thereover mounted and secured in position in one sac of said breast supporter or bust bodice.

of breast supporter or Referring to the drawings a and a* are the 2 sacs or pouches of the bust bodice or breast supporter shown in Figure 1; and, as the construction of this type bustbodice is well known, it need not be here further described. b is a cushion or pad which is advantageously made very light in weight and provided with a suitably soft filling material such as wool or feathers of a very soft character; the back of such cushion or pad being approximately fiat or level while the front part of this pad or cushion is of full or rounded form, e. g. approximating to the shape and contour of the front of the human (female) breast, i. e either left or right (or of a medium shape between the two) so that same will serve as a substitute for either left or right breast.

This cushion or pad I) is provided with means such as loops 6 to enable same to be readily attached at different points to the desired sac or pouch a in the breast supporter such as shown in Figure 1, or inany other suitable breast supporter or bust bodice.

0 is the cover (Figure 3) which is provided with slits or openings (forming passageways) 0 so that when the pad 7) is placed inside said cover 0, the loops 6 of the pad can be passed through the openings 0 of the cover as shown in Figure 4.

The cover 0 is also provided with means such for example as the tying loops 0 along the bottom open edge to secure the pad or cushion 6 inside said cover 0.

The pad or cushion I), thus secured inside the cover 0, is then attached to and secured in position in the sac a of the breast supporter; viz: by means of the tying ribbons a (see Figure 1) attached to the edge of the sac a which ribbons a are threaded through the loops 6 (protruding through the cover 0) and then tied as shown in Figure 5.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 6 In this arrangement, the pad I; having the cover 0 thereover is mounted and secured in position in one sac or pad of the breast supporter (shown in Figure 6) by means of the loops 6 and tying ribbons a as described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

The separate outer cover or casing c for use over said pad or cushion b (which cover is made removable for the purpose of washing and replacement etc.) is made approximately in the same general shape and contour as, but slightly larger in general dimensions than, that of the exterior contour of the pad or cushion (such as a) on which it is to be used; so that such cushion or pad I) can be readily inserted in said removable outer cover or casing c (somewhat after the manner of an ordinary bed pillow and pillow case) and the main opening in the cover or casing provided along the bottom edge thereof to admit the cushion or pad b can be closed by any suitable means such as ribbons 0 as shown, or by buttoning or other suitable fastenings.

This removable outer cover or case 0 is provided with slits or local openings at different points around the surrounding edge of said cover or case, and so positioned as to correspond with the positions of the respective loops or other fastening means such as tabs, tapes or ribbons, fixed around the edge of the cushion or pad I), to thus enable such fastening means on the pad or cushion b to be passed through said slits or local openings in said cover or casing c in readiness for attachment to the breast supporter by means of the ribbons a or other fastening means carried on the bust bodice or breast supporter or other garment on the wearer.

Such removable outer cover or casing c is advantageously made of a very soft fabric or material, e. g. silk or artificial silk of a very soft texture.

A pad or cushion such as I) (provided or not with a removable cover or casing such as 0) may be mounted in each of the 2 sacs (a an) for example in the case of amputation of both breasts.

A stocking-suspended tape or ribbon a: is afiixed to the beltor lower part of the breast supporters or bust bodice (Fig. 1) at about midway of the length of the pocket or sac a: which is to be fitted-as shown in Fig. 5- with the cushion or pad 6 (Fig. 2)

The pad or cushion b has aflixed thereto a loop y (see Figs. 2 and 4:).

The back of the outer cover 0 is provided with a horizontal loop 2 (indicated in dotted lines) see Figs. 3 and 4; these said loops y and a being for use as follows The free end (not shown) of the tape or ribbon 0a is passed (threaded) through either the loop 3/ on the pad, or through the loop 2 on the back of the cover, and said free end of the tape or ribbon m is then attached to the stocking of the wearer, thereby to serve not only as a stocking suspended but also to prevent the pad or cushion b rising out of the sac or pocket a or rising unduly for example when the wearer raises her arm adjoining said sac or pocket a.

What I claim is 1. A device for womens wear in conjunction with a breast supporter consisting of a cushion made approximately in the shape and configuration of the breast of a woman, means provided on said pad to secure same in and tosaid breast supporter, a removable outer cover for said pad of the same general shape and contour as-but slightly larger in general dimensions than-that of the pad on which it is to be used, said covers having apertures surrounding the edge thereof Which the attaching means carried on the pad Inn L J may be passed thereby to enable the latter to be attached and secured together with its cover in position on the breast supporter.

2. A device as described including in combination with a breast supporter of a device for womens wear in con unction therewith, comprising a pad made approximately in the shape and configuration of the breast of a woman, loops fixed along the surrounding edge of said pad, a removable outer cover having apertures along its outer edge in corresponding positions to those of the loops on the pad to enable said loops to passed through said apertures, tying ribbons aflixed to the surrounding edge of the sac of the breast supporter adapted to be passed through said loops and then tied, thereby to secure the pad together with its outer covering securely in position in the breast sup- 20 porter.

ZOE MORGAN RICHARDS. 

